Inference Claims

Abstract

A conclusion follows from given premisses if and only if an acceptable counterfactual-supporting covering generalization of the argument rules out, either definitively or with some modal qualification, simultaneous acceptability of the premisses and non-accepta-bility of the conclusion, even though it does not rule out acceptability of the premisses and does not require acceptability of the conclusion independently of the premisses. Hence the reiterative associated conditional of an argument is true if and only it has such a covering generalization, and a supposed unexpressed premiss supplied to make an argument formally valid should be a covering generalization.

The Irrelevance of Relevance

“…I wish to compare this with the view recently given by David Hitchcock (2011). He also rejects deductive validity as sufficient because it allows ex falso quodlibet and ex quodlibet verum and suggests that this can be remedied if we add as a condition that "there is a generalization of an argument's associated material conditional .…”

“…From p∧q (or even from ¬p alone or from q alone), p⊃q logically follows, yet despite being truth-preserving it does not constitute a good warrant, and this seems to be because it does not generalize (in some sense to be determined). It is generally agreed that commitment to the conditional should not depend on prior commitment to the consequent [i.e., from q alone-the accounts of Hitchcock and Bermejo-Luque discussed in Hitchcock (2011) both emphasize this point]. But maybe this result has been overstated.…”

Inference Claims as Assertions

“…The statement of an argument used in a reasongiving way is truth-evaluable and conveys an associated inference claim. In what follows, I'll adopt Hitchcock's (2011) first-step characterization of inference claims according to which an inference claim says, in effect, that the conclusion follows from the premises. 3 How, exactly, is the inference claim so construed conveyed?…”

“…Accordingly, I take the position to hold that an inference claim is implied by virtue of the meaning of one or more expressions that occur in the statement of the argument. For example, I take Hitchcock (2007Hitchcock ( , 2011 to hold that a speaker's statement of an argument in arguing for its conclusion implies the corresponding inference claim. His rationale is threefold.…”

Research report appraisal: how much understanding is enough?

“…Minimalism can inform the appraisal of qualitative or quantitative research reports and minimalism is vulnerable to (adapting Krabbe, , p. 160) ‘connection criticism’ since, from an appraiser's perspective, conclusions (here research findings) are not connected with or deductively derived from premises (here analysed data). Hitchcock () makes an allied point.…”